SENATE, No. 3225

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED DECEMBER 7, 2020

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  STEPHEN M. SWEENEY

District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)

Senator  STEVEN V. OROHO

District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)

Assemblyman  ROY FREIMAN

District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)

Assemblywoman  VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Assemblyman  ADAM J. TALIAFERRO

District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Senator Bateman, Assemblyman Armato, Assemblywoman Murphy, Assemblymen Wirths, Space and Houghtaling

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Appropriates $11.5 million from constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues to State Agriculture Development Committee for municipal planning incentive grants for farmland preservation purposes.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  


An Act appropriating $11,500,000 from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax revenues to the State Agriculture Development Committee for municipal planning incentive grants for farmland preservation purposes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.   There is appropriated to the State Agriculture Development Committee the sum of $11,500,000 from dedicated corporation business tax revenues pursuant to Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 6 of the State Constitution in the “Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund,” established pursuant to section 8 of the “Preserve New Jersey Act,” P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-50), for the purpose of providing municipal planning incentive grants pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1999, c.180 (C.4:1C-43.1) and approved as eligible for such funding pursuant to this section.

     b.  The following municipalities are eligible for funding, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the State Agriculture Development Committee providing for a municipal planning incentive grant program, with the monies appropriated pursuant to subsection a. of this section:

 

Municipality

 

Upper Deerfield Twp

 

County

 

Cumberland

Amount of Grant

 

$500,000

Franklin Twp

 

Gloucester

$500,000

 

Woolwich Twp

 

Gloucester

$1,000,000

 

Alexandria Twp

Hunterdon

$500,000

 

Pilesgrove Twp

Salem

$1,000,000

 

Pittsgrove Twp

Salem

$500,000

 

Upper Pittsgrove Twp

Salem

$1,000,000

 

Blairstown Twp

Warren

$500,000

 

Frelinghuysen Twp

Warren

$500,000

 

Knowlton Twp

Warren

$500,000

 

TOTAL

 

6,500,000

 

     c.  (1) The following municipalities are eligible for funding, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the State Agriculture Development Committee providing for a municipal planning incentive grant program competitive grant fund, with the monies appropriated pursuant to subsection a. of this section:

Municipality

 

County

Hopewell Twp

Upper Deerfield Twp

Cumberland

 

 

 

Franklin Twp

Woolwich Twp

 

Gloucester

 

Alexandria Twp

Delaware Twp

East Amwell Twp

Franklin Twp

Holland Twp

Kingwood Twp

Readington Twp

Tewksbury Twp

Union Twp

West Amwell Twp

 

Hunterdon

 

Hopewell Twp

 

Mercer

 

Colts Neck Twp

Holmdel Twp

Howell Twp

Manalapan Twp

Marlboro Twp

Millstone Twp

Upper Freehold Twp

 

Monmouth

Alloway Twp

Mannington Twp

Pilesgrove Twp

Pittsgrove Twp

Upper Pittsgrove Twp

 

Salem

Bedminster Twp

Franklin Twp

Hillsborough Twp

Montgomery Twp

Peapack - Gladstone Boro

 

 

Somerset

Frankford Twp

Green Twp

 

Sussex

Blairstown Twp

Franklin Twp

Frelinghuysen Twp

Greenwich Twp

Harmony Twp

Hope Twp

Knowlton Twp

White Twp

 

Warren

     (2)   The maximum grant award a municipality identified in this subsection may receive pursuant to this section is $500,000.

 

     2.    There is appropriated from the General Fund to the “Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund,” established pursuant to section 8 of the “Preserve New Jersey Act,” P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-50), the sum of $11,500,000 to implement the provisions of this act.

 

     3.    The expenditure of the sums appropriated by this act is subject to the provisions and conditions of P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.), P.L.1999, c.180 (C.4:1C-43.1), P.L.1999, c.152 (C.13:8C-1 et seq.), and P.L.1983, c.32 (C.4:1C-11 et seq.), as appropriate.

 

     4.    This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill would appropriate $11.5 million to the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) for municipal planning incentive grants pursuant to a program established by P.L.1999, c.180 (C.4:1C-43.1) for farmland preservation purposes.

     The funding in this bill is provided from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues pursuant to Article VIII, Section II, paragraph 6 of the State Constitution, approved by the voters of the State in November 2014.  The “Preserve New Jersey Act,” P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.), implements the constitutional dedication of CBT revenues for open space, farmland, and historic preservation. The “Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund” was established pursuant to section 8 of the “Preserve New Jersey Act.

     Under the bill, 10 municipalities will each receive a “base grant” of either $500,000 or $1 million, as specified in the bill.  In addition, those municipalities and 35 additional municipalities identified in subsection c. of section 1 of the bill would also be eligible to compete to receive an additional grant from the “competitive grant fund” pursuant to subsection c. of section 1 of the bill, in an amount not to exceed $500,000.  A total of 42 municipalities would be eligible for funding under this bill. 

     The bill appropriates to the “Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund” moneys from the General Fund already constitutionally dedicated to the “Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund” for the purpose of making the appropriations required by this bill.

     The allocations and projects listed in the bill have been approved by the SADC and the Garden State Preservation Trust.